Madrigal became a part of the Grayson-Manticoran Combined Fleet. The ship was flanked and protected by two Grayson destroyers while en route to face the Masadan Fleet, and filled in GNS Glory's vacant spot because the latter was doing a routine maintenance cycle at the time the GMCF left Grayson. Madrigal was able to fire its point defense lasers when the Navy of Masada fleet attacked at the First Battle of Yeltsin's Star with little damage, and extended its defenses toward the other vessels in the GMCF, but more missiles got through. Madrigal became the new GMCF flagship after GNS Austin Grayson was destroyed.

Admiral Courvosier was killed when a single missile penetrated Madrigal's defenses. Commander Alvarez relayed to Commodore Wesley Matthews aboard GNS Covington that he was in command of the GMCF and with information that the Masadans had at least a heavy cruiser. Commander Alvarez led the Madrigal to face the rest of the Masadan fleet so that Covington and the destroyer GNS Saul could escape.

During the final phase of the battle, Madrigal destroyed the light cruisers MNS Noah and Samson as well as the destroyers MNS Archangel and Throne, and damaged the light cruiser MNS David and MNS Solomon, as well as the destroyers Cherubim, Seraphim, Angel and Dominion. Afterwards the mortally wounded ship was able to get one final salvo off, which destroyed Archangel, and heavily damaged Angel before being destroyed.

The survivors of Madrigal's crew were taken to the Masadan base on the moon Blackbird. There were fifty-three survivors, including twenty-six women, that were held at Blackbird Base. Only nineteen, two of them women, were still alive by the time Captain Harrington and her forces arrived to rescue them. (HH2)